tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7071830940339914895.post4269587877216138712..comments2023-11-05T03:37:08.405-08:00Comments on Pumpkin Delight: Teacher TalkPumpkin Delight (Kimberly)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15754292671421221960noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7071830940339914895.post-859716755744032482015-09-13T11:11:49.121-07:002015-09-13T11:11:49.121-07:00Doesn't it feel great to be appreciated?Doesn't it feel great to be appreciated?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07874897254332872367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7071830940339914895.post-66675636744470289092015-09-07T07:43:22.097-07:002015-09-07T07:43:22.097-07:00I am sad to hear the horrible start to the school ...I am sad to hear the horrible start to the school year you are having and I am constantly disappointed my how under appreciated teachers are.. kudos to the man and his support. Hena Tayebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15419428884435062756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7071830940339914895.post-72410376175231769042015-09-07T00:19:36.694-07:002015-09-07T00:19:36.694-07:00http://www.alternet.org/education/how-billionaire-...http://www.alternet.org/education/how-billionaire-kingpins-school-privatization-got-stopped-their-own-back-yard?sc=fb<br /><br />http://www.salon.com/2015/07/18/charter_schools_worst_nightmare_a_pro_union_movement_may_change_charters_forever/<br /><br />http://www.alternet.org/education/la-teachers-take-entire-charter-school-chain-fight-union-rightsPumpkin Delight (Kimberly)https://www.blogger.com/profile/15754292671421221960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7071830940339914895.post-27084650675062446482015-09-07T00:10:03.393-07:002015-09-07T00:10:03.393-07:00Oh, yes, I do believe there are people who'd L...Oh, yes, I do believe there are people who'd LOVE to capitalize on education and I think that's the quandary we are in right now. Our US Sec of Ed is a HUGE proponent for charter schools (the research shows that most charter schools are not doing any better than "regular" public schools and they get to hand pick their kids, which says something). Anyhow, there are big businesses waiting in the wings to swoop in and oversee the recent charter school influx. These business are requiring teachers to work without unions. The Walmart corp is one such business. <br />My district has been involved in a legal battle with a "charter" school that is being run by a business that didn't follow the rules for chartering and hand picked their kids from across the valley - taking no one with a "brown" last name. <br />Now, does our union want to be part of this? I don't believe so, it's not in their best interest to have all of us no longer unionized. But again, I don't hear too much about their fight against that either. So who knows who is in cahoots with who, and who is lobbying for and against what. <br />In my opinion, education AND health care shouldn't be a money maker. When $$ are involved, education and health are no longer the priority. The bottom line is.<br />The best education there is private/paid for by the families who attend? Or is it offered to all? Is the "only for some" due to the areas where the schools are or because not all can attend the best schools?Pumpkin Delight (Kimberly)https://www.blogger.com/profile/15754292671421221960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7071830940339914895.post-48226709440381976792015-09-06T14:07:32.117-07:002015-09-06T14:07:32.117-07:00If, as seems to be the case that the funders are r...If, as seems to be the case that the funders are running down the service it's very much in the interest of the unions. Otherwise they are basically writing a prolonged suicide note. But is it policy to move education to the private sector. <br />I know here the spin is that we have the best education, but in truth that's only for some. Like health. Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442327549417743472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7071830940339914895.post-82782263541034701052015-09-06T13:19:11.219-07:002015-09-06T13:19:11.219-07:00Depending on who you talk to, some say the unions ...Depending on who you talk to, some say the unions are TOO strong. If that is truly the case, it's too strong for the wrong things. <br />There was a period of time that I really believed our new Common Core standards were going to be a positive change for education - the kind of teaching we were going to be allowed to do was different than teaching to the test. That was very naive of me. If the union were going to take on an issue, that's the biggest one of all. And the worse it all seems to be getting, I'm not really sure why that's not happening. The local chapters can't really do much about the testing/requirements because it's not a district who is mandating the testing but the state/fed govt. The district can decide what to do with those mandates, but when funding is on the line, I'll give you one guess the route they take. So it does need to happen on a state and national level. The thing that I think often happens though, is any time a large group of teachers "complain" a lot of people think it's because we don't want to work and we don't want to have high expectations for our kids. When that couldn't be further from the truth for most of us.<br />But to be honest with you, the education system is a byproduct of everything else we do in this country that doesn't work. Most of the time our kids lack of learning has very little to do with the teacher, it's everything else kids have to deal with (poverty, hunger, abuse, lack of parent support, lack of parent expectations). Until any of that is dealt with, no matter what we do in the schools isn't going to fix the education problem. But more testing certainly isn't either.Pumpkin Delight (Kimberly)https://www.blogger.com/profile/15754292671421221960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7071830940339914895.post-52200221406888578122015-09-06T00:34:32.763-07:002015-09-06T00:34:32.763-07:00You really need a much stronger union. And they re...You really need a much stronger union. And they really need good PR. You are an easy target. And when the people controlling you send their kids to private schools you are doubly caught. <br />Plus the objectives are blurred, and those that aren't are utterly fixed and therefore unrealistic.<br />How for instance do you measure the achievement of actually getting to school. Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442327549417743472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7071830940339914895.post-83253467420118529712015-09-05T20:19:02.457-07:002015-09-05T20:19:02.457-07:00Oh good, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's so...Oh good, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's so interesting to me about how vicious "people" can be about teachers, but I don't actually know anyone who feels that way in real life. It's gotten to the point that I can't read an article that has teaching as the subject matter because I get so bothered by the bashing of the profession in the comments or hearing our politicians speak poorly of it. So I'm always a little leery posting something about teachers as a group. <br />Things are fine. We have a lot to complain about right now both locally and in the big picture, but once inside those four walls that's not important anymore (especially now that the AC has been fixed in my room :).Pumpkin Delight (Kimberly)https://www.blogger.com/profile/15754292671421221960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7071830940339914895.post-87053747370247846412015-09-05T19:39:14.895-07:002015-09-05T19:39:14.895-07:00Thanks so much for sharing this clip (which I in t...Thanks so much for sharing this clip (which I in turn have now shared)! <br /><br />I'm sorry the year is getting off to such a rough start. Hopefully things will improve as time goes on (can it?). And hey, we all need those bitch sessions at times. Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00859017153454691633noreply@blogger.com